WWE 2K19 announced for October 9, includes challenge to win one million dollars

2K Games has announced WWE 2K19 for a release date of October 9 – and the Californian publisher’s big hook for this year’s series entry is something it’s calling the Million Dollar Challenge.

As the title suggests, one gamer will walk away with a million dollars in return for demonstrating their excellence in the virtual ring. This isn’t your conventional eSports tournament with regional then national then international qualifying, however – part of it involves you cutting a WWE-style promo video that explains your greatness, and the ultimate prize requires you to defeat WWE Champion AJ Styles at the game. The four steps are outlined by 2K as follows:

Beat a to-be-announced new mode in WWE 2K19

Submit a promotional video explaining why you’ll beat Styles on the game

Win a tournament against three other finalists

Beat AJ Styles himself at WWE 2K19

“I want them to win but I’m not going to take it easy on them,” Styles tells GamesRadar. “If someone wants to win a million dollars I’m going to put them to the test. I’m going to have to get my tail in the lab [and practise]. There are gamers out there who’ll dedicate themselves to this 24/7, and I’m looking forward to the competition.”

It’s an intriguing gimmick – and wrestling, after all, is all about intriguing gimmicks – but one likely to garner mixed feedback from the 2K series’ community. Many are already pressing hard for concrete info on the game itself, especially given the ongoing issues with WWE 2K18 (how, eight months after release, can I still not delete a promo in career mode without a convoluted workaround?!). For those guys and girls, 2K has at least teased an over-arching theme for the game: ‘never say never’.

That could potentially mean match types long considered in exile are finally restored to the series, like the casket match or inferno match. It’ll almost certainly lead to a shock name or two making the WWE 2K19 roster, perhaps such as Hulk Hogan, who’s rumoured to have had multiple discussions with the company regarding an imminent comeback. One past favourite certain to miss out is CM Punk, given his recent court victory over WWE doctor Chris Amann.

GR will have plenty more on WWE 2K19, and the exact meaning of ‘never say never’, between now and release.